Natural Resources Institute

Staff

Name Details
Lauren Farwell
  • Qualifications: BSc, PhD
  • Biography:

    Dr Lauren Farwell joined NRI as a Postdoctoral Researcher in 2024. Her work focuses on investigating the ecology and diversity of plant pathogens, using novel monitoring and diagnostic techniques in the field and researching sustainable management strategies against such pathogens. Lauren is a member of NRI’s Agriculture, Health and Environment Department, working in the Plant Health and Postharvest Science research themes.

    Before joining NRI, Lauren was a PhD student with Cranfield University in the Applied Mycology department, and was based at the Pest and Pathogen Ecology department at NIAB East Malling. While based at NIAB East Malling for four years, Lauren researched the epidemiology of Cladosporium on raspberry using sequencing to determine species present, field screens to determine fruit susceptibility, metabarcoding to assess the epicarp microbiome and performed field assays of biological control agents and resistant varieties to determine their efficacy. During her time at NIAB East Malling, Lauren also worked as a research technician, working on pathology and bio-stimulant experiments across various horticultural crops.

    Lauren holds a BSc in Plant Science (University of Bristol) and a PhD on the epidemiology and management of Cladosporium on raspberry (Cranfield University in partnership with NIAB East Malling).

    Lauren’s expertise includes pathogenicity assays, DNA barcoding, amplicon sequencing, biological control agent assays, airborne spore sampling and detection and the development of diagnostic assays.  
  • Research / Scholarly Interests:

    Lauren is a plant pathologist specialising in the study of emerging horticultural pathogens to aid in disease diagnostics, monitoring and control. Her core research interests are fungi and oomycetes, but she also has interest in bacterial pathogens. Lauren has interest in pathosystems across horticulture, including fungi such as Botrytis, Cladosporium, Rhizopus, Mucor, Colletotrichum and Alternaria¸ and oomycete pathogens such as Phytophthora and Pythium.

    Lauren’s research interests span fundamental and applied science, asking how pathogens have evolved adaptations to infect their host, how to monitor the inoculum of these pathogens on their hosts and in the air, and then subsequently how to manage these pathogens in the field.

    Lauren will be using comparative genomics to determine loci important for pesticide resistance to aid in the monitoring of resistant pathogens in the field.
  • Research Projects:

    An enhanced toolkit for Botrytis control in protected cropping | BBSRC PACE Horticulture | PDRA | 2024 – 2028

    This research aims to develop an advanced toolbox for precision monitoring and integrated disease management of Botrytis in protected strawberry.

    To do this, we will be surveying the genomes of Botrytis isolates to investigate characteristics such as fungicide resistance, and understanding how species have co-evolved with their hosts. We will be continuing the development of in-field diagnostic tools to detect subspecific variants of Botrytis. We will also search for new genetic sources of Botrytis resistance in cultivated and wild strawberries, and finally assess the efficacy and persistence of biological controls to manage Botrytis infections in the field.
  • Awards:

    Student Prize from the Worshipful Company of Fruiterers 2023
  • External Profiles:

    ORCID

    https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4918-8588

    LinkedIn

    https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauren-farwell-2ba58116b

    ResearchGate

    https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Lauren-Farwell
  • Selected Publications:
Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Molecular Plant Pathology
Wezi Mkwaila Research Technician - Molecular Biology and Microbiology
John Cooper
  • Qualifications: BSc (Hons), CCHem, MRSC
  • Biography:

    John has over thirty years of experience working as an analytical chemist, primarily within UKAS 17025 accredited laboratories. He has worked within the food enforcement sector analysing samples submitted by bodies such as Trading Standards and Port Health Authorities. He has spent five years establishing and developing a quality control/research laboratory for a successful private company within the global beer industry before moving to the Natural Resources Institute in September 2024.

    In addition to food analysis experience, John brings knowledge from other sectors as diverse as pharmaceuticals (specifically cannabis) and forensic explosives.

    He is fully conversant with traditional wet chemistry techniques and the latest analytical instrumentation, using both to generate accredited analytical methods of analysis.
Laboratory Coordinator
Dr Mary Nkongho Tanyitiku
  • Qualifications: BSc (Hons), MEng, MSc, PhD
  • Biography:

    Dr Mary Tanyitiku joined the University of Greenwich in October 2023 as a Research Fellow in food and safety. She is a trained food process engineer with experience in academia and the food industry. For example, in 2014 and 2015, she worked with the Netherlands Development Organisation, SNV Cameroon, to improve the performance of women cooperatives/CIG in the diary value chain, that is, production, collection, processing and commercialisation of milk and milk products. This fixed-term field project focused on diet formulation/animal nutrition and incorporated local dairy producers and processors in the Far North dairy platform termed “Plateforme des Acteurs de la Filière Lait de la région de l’Extrême-Nord” (ACFILEN). Then, between 2015 and 2018, she went further as a lecturer to design curriculums and teach modules in the production and processing of arable, animal, and plantation food products as well as in diet formulation/animal nutrition, starting from the very first batch of student teachers (postgraduate level) at the Higher Technical Teachers Training College of the University of Buea, Cameroon. In addition, she was a senior quality and food grader at Kraft Heinz Watties, Christchurch, New Zealand, for four seasons. 

    While her MSc research studied the effects of processing methods (germination, toasting, fermentation and soaking) on the technofunctional, nutritional and sensory characteristics of African consumed cereal-based complementary foods, her doctoral research was interdisciplinary and combined qualitative research (in-depth face-to-face interviews, participant observation, visual methods), molecular techniques (DNA extraction, PCR, and gel electrophoresis) and traditional microbial culturing to understand the public health risks of foodborne pathogens among snail meat-consuming populations in sub-Saharan Africa, particularly Cameroon. The latter was fully funded by the New Zealand Aid programme.

    Despite her career goals in food science, she enjoys teaching French to children under 11 years of age, as a volunteer.
  • Responsibilities:

    Her role in NRI includes

    • The support of the research of NRI academic staff members,
    • Contribute to the development of new research areas,
    • Work collaboratively with the Laboratory Manager in the provision of practical classes,
    • Provide supervision to students’ conducting laboratory-based research projects and
    • Contribute to teaching and assessment
  • External Profiles:

    ResearchGate

    https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Tanyitiku-Nkongho

    ORCID

    https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3809-4340

     
  • Selected Publications:

    Tanyitiku MN, Bessem P., & Petcheu, I. (2024). Gluten-free corn cookies incorporated with stinging nettle leaf flour: Effect on physical properties, storage stability, and health benefits. International Journal of Food Science, Wiley. 2024. https://doi.org/10.1155/2024/8864560.

    Tanyitiku MN. (2024). Microbiological contamination of fermented cassava products sold in local markets, Yaounde (Cameroon). African Journal of Agriculture and Food Science, 7, 1-14. doi:10.52589/AJAFS-DPAMM68W.

    Tanyitiku MN, Nicholas, G., Sullivan, J., Njombissie Petcheu , IC, & On, S. (2024). Survival of Escherichia coli in Edible Land Snails: Implications for Heliciculture and Public Health. Pathogens, 13, 1-10. doi:10.3390/pathogens13030204.

    Tanyitiku MN, Njombissie Petcheu IG (2023) Effect of stinging nettle leaf flour substitution on the quality characteristics of fermented corn complementary foods. Journal of Food Research. 12(4). 11-21. doi: https://doi.org/10.5539/jfr.v12n4p31.

    Tanyitiku MN, Teh EA, Laison RM, Njombissie Petcheu IC (2023). Foodborne pathogens in leafy vegetables grown and consumed locally in Yaounde, Cameroon: A public health concern. Journal of Food Research. 12(2). 11-22. doi: https://doi.org/10.5539/jfr.v12n2p11.

    Tanyitiku MN, Nicholas G, Njombissie Petcheu IC, Sullivan JJ, On SLW (2022) Snail meat consumption in Buea – Cameroon: exposures to foodborne pathogens through social practices assessed in 2019 and 2021 (2022). Archives of Public Health.  80(256). 1-12. doi: https://doi.org/10.1186/s13690-022-01009-8.

    Tanyitiku MN, Nicholas G, Njombissie Petcheu IC, Sullivan JJ, On SLW (2022) Public health risks of foodborne pathogens in edible African land snails in Cameroon. Emerging Infectious Diseases: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). 28(8). doi: https://doi.org/10.3201/eid2808.220722.

    Tanyitiku MN, Njombissie Petcheu IG (2022) Formulation and nutritional analysis of processed sorghum, soybeans, and mango complementary foods. Journal of Food Research. 11(3). 11-21. doi: https://doi.org/10.5539/jfr.v11n3p11.

    Tanyitiku MN (2022). Nutritious food and Health risks: A review on the edible land snails of Africa. Journal of Food Safety and Hygiene. 8(2). 64-77. doi:https://doi.org/10.18502/jfsh.v8i2.10669. Impact factor:

    Tanyitiku MN, Nicholas G, Sullivan JJ, Njombissie Petcheu IC, On SLW (2022) Snail meat consumption: the methodological challenges in exploring its public health risks. International Journal of Qualitative Methods. SAGE. 21, 1-12. doi.org/10.1177/16094069221078132.

     

    Book chapters

    Luca Serventi, Kaichao Yang, Congyi Liu, Mary Tanyitiku, Minoo Mohajer (2023). Lipids. In Serventi L. (Ed.) Sustainable Food Innovation, Sustainable Development Goals Series. Springer International Publishing AG. p73-90. doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-12358-0_5

    Luca Serventi, Georgia Mary Wilson, Qiao Chen, Yukun Li, Mary Tanyitiku, Ziqian Feng (2023). Minerals. In Serventi L. (Ed.) Sustainable Food Innovation, Sustainable Development Goals Series. Springer International Publishing AG. p59-71 doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-12358-0_5

    Luca Serventi, Yuxuan Wang, Ziqian Feng, Mary Tanyitiku (2023). Fat soluble vitamins. In Serventi L. (Ed.) Sustainable Food Innovation, Sustainable Development Goals Series. Springer International Publishing AG. p107-117. doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-12358-0_5
Research Fellow
Mihiri Vanniarachchy Postgraduate Research Fellow in Flavour Technology
Elena Arribas Lopez
  • Qualifications: BSc (Hons), PGCert, MSc, PhD, ISO 9001:2015 LA, HACCP L3
  • Biography:

    Dr Elena Arribas Lopez is a Lecturer in Food Science at the Natural Resources Institute (NRI), University of Greenwich, where she leads the Food Product and Process Development module. She teaches mainly on the MSc Food Innovation and MSc Food Safety programmes, also contributes to the BSc in Nutrition, and is actively involved in laboratory practices for MSc Food Innovation. Alongside her teaching, Elena supervises postgraduate students on a range of research projects.

    Her research focuses on the role of nutrition in wound healing, with a particular interest in how supplement formulations affect Human Dermal Fibroblasts and immune system cells. The aim of her work is to develop functional supplements that can support recovery and improve health outcomes. In the past, she has also explored cytokine release, drug delivery, and 3D printing as part of her wider research in food science and health applications.

    Elena completed her PhD at the University of Greenwich with a project titled A Nutritional Approach to Wound Healing: The Role of Supplementation. In this work, she designed supplement formulations from scratch, applied advanced analysis, and evaluated their biological effects. She also holds an MSc in Food Innovation from Greenwich and a BSc (Hons) in Food Science and Technology from the University of Burgos, Spain.

    She is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and has completed further professional training, including the CQI and IRCA Certified Lead Auditor Training Course (ISO 9001:2015) and a Level 3 HACCP Award (Distinction).
  • Research / Scholarly Interests:

    Elena’s interest focuses on the potential of natural compounds to accelerate wound healing, and the underlying mechanisms involved, including cell migration, proliferation, and cytokine release.

    She is also interested in the role of nutrition in promoting health, as well as the development and application of alternative proteins. Her work includes product development, alongside considerations of food safety and quality management, combining both scientific innovation and practical application.

    She is currently part of the “Alternative Proteins” research group, led by Parag Acharya, where she focuses on the nutritional aspects of alternative protein development.
  • Research Projects:

    Her PhD, “A Nutritional Approach to Wound Healing: The Role of Supplementation”, was supported by Prof. Tony Kochhar. The project aimed to develop a functional supplement that could be widely used to accelerate healing after injury. The research has so far produced promising results.
  • Teaching Programmes:

    MSc Food Innovation, MSc Food safety, BSc Nutrition. Food Accelerator Programme
  • Greenwich Academic Literature Archive (GALA) link: https://gala.gre.ac.uk/cgi/facet/simple2?q=elena+arribas+lopez&_action_search=
  • Responsibilities:

    Module leader for Food Product and Process Development
  • Awards:

    Local Innovative Technology Award - Explorer Programme and Certificate in entrepreneurship specialization (Santander International Entrepreneurship Center (CISE) - 2018
  • External Profiles:

    ResearchGate

    https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Elena-Arribas-Lopez

    ORCID

    https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1512-7154

    Google Scholar

    https://scholar.google.co.uk/citations?view_op=list_works&hl=en&user=koBpI_MAAAAJ&gmla=AH8HC4zrG4mxBVM32UJDVTnAizqaV-oNzFN8AaMqqJJwrHU0MaOWewKzOKj7QqwAJoHQcva59Qi8-xhBIZUw-GIQd2YgBuqBkCOVjKE

    LinkedIn

    https://www.linkedin.com/in/elena-arribas-lopez/
  • Selected Publications:
    • Lopez, E.A., Zand, N., Ojo, O. & Kochhar, T. 2025, 'Systematic review and meta-analysis of the effect of zinc on wound healing', BMJ Nutrition, Prevention & Health (online), https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjnph-2024-000952.
    • Krause, I., Manigk, R., Lopez, E.A. & Douroumis, D. 2024, 'Personalised oral dosage forms using an ultra-compact tablet press at the point of care', European Journal of Pharmaceutics and Biopharmaceutics, vol. 197, p. 114220 (online), https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejpb.2024.114220.
    • Tabriz, A.G., Viegas, B., Okereke, M., Uddin, M.J., Lopez, E.A., Zand, N., Ranatunga, M., Getti, G. & Douroumis, D. 2022, 'Evaluation of 3D printability and biocompatibility of microfluidic resin for fabrication of solid microneedles', Micromachines, vol. 13, no. 9, p. 1368 (online), https://doi.org/10.3390/mi13091368.
    • Arribas-López, E., Zand, N., Ojo, O., Snowden, M.J. & Kochhar, T. 2022, 'A systematic review of the effect of Centella asiatica on wound healing', International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, vol. 19, no. 6, p. 3266 (online), https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19063266.
    • Arribas-López, E., Zand, N., Ojo, O., Snowden, M.J. & Kochhar, T. 2021, 'The effect of amino acids on wound healing: a systematic review and meta-analysis on arginine and glutamine', Nutrients, vol. 13, no. 8, p. 2498 (online), https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13082498.
    • Milledge, J.J., Maneein, S., Arribas López, E. & Bartlett, D. 2020, 'Sargassum inundations in Turks and Caicos: methane potential and proximate, ultimate, lipid, amino acid, metal and metalloid analyses', Energies, vol. 13, no. 6, p. 1523 (online), https://doi.org/10.3390/en13061523.
Lecturer in Food Science
Mark Spires
  • Qualifications: BA,MPH,PhD
  • Biography:

    At NRI, Dr Spires’ leads the Centre for Food Systems Research alongside forwarding his research interests through a variety of research projects. In this role, he also develops and leads research and innovation consortia with external partners including non-academic stakeholders.

    Prior to joining NRI, Dr Spires was a Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for Food Policy (City St Georges, University of London) where he established and lead new interdisciplinary research projects exploring public policy solutions for healthy diets in the UK and in LMICs.

    Dr Spires completed his PhD (2018) in Public Health at the University of the Western Cape, South Africa where he researched low-income community access to safe and nutritious food.
  • Research / Scholarly Interests:

    Dr Spires’ primary research interests centre on seeking to better understand people’s lived experience of local food environments and how findings from these inquiries can contribute to more effective and inclusive food systems and related policy.
  • Research Projects:
    • EU Horizon £230,000 (Dec 2022-Nov 2026) AfriFOODlinks, Africa & EU collaboration
    • NIHR-PHR £1.2 million (Sep 2020-Feb 2024) Family Food Environment Study, London, UK (co-lead applicant)
    • National Lottery Funding £50,000 (Dec 2019-June 2023) Peas Please Peoples Engagement Evaluation
    • City, Uni of London (Mar-Jul 2022) Participatory Learning with municipal officials in the Breede Valley, South Africa
    • City, Uni of London £10,000 (Aug-Dec 2020) Advancing city-level approaches to improving food policy and health–Cape Town
    • UKRI-BBSRC £660,000 (Feb 2020-March 2020) Nourished Child Study, Cape Town, South Africa (co-lead applicant)
    • ARUA-The Guild Clusters of Excellence: Food Environment Actions for the Promotion of Health. EU-Africa partnership
  • Greenwich Academic Literature Archive (GALA) link: https://gala.gre.ac.uk/view/creators/Spires=3AMark=3A=3A.html
  • Responsibilities:

    Centre Lead, Centre for Food Systems Research
  • External Profiles:

    ORCID

    https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1767-2511

    LinkedIn

    https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-spires-92aaa723/

    ResearchGate

    https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Mark-Spires-2
  • Selected Publications:
    • Hawkes, C; Gallagher Squires, C; Spires, M; Hawkins, N; Neve, K; Brock, J; Isaacs, A; Parrish, S; Coleman, P. (2024)‘The full picture of people’s realities must be considered to deliver better diets for all’, Nature Food.
    • Barrett, M; Spires, M; Vogel, C. (2024) ‘The Healthy Start scheme in England "is a lifeline for families but many are missing out": a rapid qualitative analysis’, BMC Medicine,22(1):177. doi: 10.1186/s12916-024-03380-5.
    • Turner, C; Salm, L; Spires, M; Laar, A; Holdsworth, M. (2023) ‘Capturing the moment: A snapshot review of contemporary food environment research featuring participatory photography methods', Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability, 65,https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cosust.2023.101364.
    • Spires, M.; Battersby, J., Cohen, N., Daivadanam, M., Demmler, K., Mattioni, D., Pradeilles, R., Thompson, C., Turner, C., Venegas, C., Wertheim-Heck, S., Wills, W., Hawkes, C. (2023) ‘A “People’s Summit”: A case for lived experience of the food system as a critical source of evidence to inform the follow-up to the 2021 UN Food Systems Summit’, Global Food Security, 37,https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gfs.2023.100690.
    • Laar, A., ...Spires, M., ... Vandevijvere, S. (2022) ‘Monitoring food environments and systems for sustainable diets in Africa: Lessons from Ghana, Kenya, Senegal, and South Africa’, Routledge Handbook of Sustainable Diets, London, https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003174417.
    • Laar, A., ...Spires, M.,...Holdsworth, M. (2022) ‘Perspective: Food Environment Research Priorities for Africa: Lessons from the Africa Food Environment Research Network’, Advances in Nutrition, https://doi.org/10.1093/advances/nmac019.
    • Isaacs, A., Spires, M., Halloran, A., Stridsland, T., and Hawkes, C. (2021) ‘Gathering data on food environments and practices through photo elicitation in Copenhagen, Denmark: Implications for adapting the EAT-Lancet reference diet to local circumstances’, Cities & Health, 6:3, 511-527, https://doi.org/10.1080/23748834.2022.2078072.
    • Swart, R., Van der Merwe, M., Spires, M., and Drimie, S. (2020) ‘Child-centred food systems: Ensuring healthy diets for children’, South African Child Gauge 2020. Cape Town: Children’s Institute, University of Cape Town.
    • Spires, M., Delobelle, P., Sanders, and D., Puoane, T. (2020) ‘Using photography to explore people with diabetes’ perspectives on food environments in urban and rural South Africa’, Health Promotion International, https://doi.org/10.1093/heapro/daaa035.
    • Spires, M., Berggreen-Clausen, A., Kasujja, F., Delobelle, P., Puoane, T., Sanders, D., and Daivadanam, M. (2020) ‘Snapshots of the food environment from rural and urban settings in high-, middle-, and low-income countries: Lessons from an implementation perspective’, Nutrients, 12(2), 484, doi: 10.3390/nu12020484
Associate Professor in Food Systems Research
Vijay Mane Research Technician - Molecular Biology and Microbiology
Tobi Fadiji Lecturer in Food Science
Tafadzwa Mkungunugwa Laboratory Technical & Business Support

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